Notorious thief gets jail term

Gets six months for crystal theft

An infamous Canadian thief has been sentenced to six months in jail and one-year probation for the theft of a $12,500 sculpture from a Whistler art gallery.

Darryl James Vincent, 67, of Toronto was followed and tackled by gallery staff March 14 as he left with a glass violin stashed inside his trench coat. The violin was broken in the struggle.

Vincent, who is a resident of Ontario, was on probation, and awaiting trials in both Montreal and Toronto in two separate criminal cases. He has been ordered to pay $7,194 in retribution to Plaza Art Gallery.

His criminal record goes back 45 years, with most of his thefts involving high-end goods. Vincent has spent about one third of his life behind bars.

Previous news articles on Vincent tell of a life-long addiction to stealing which include the recovery by police of six Group of Seven paintings stolen from the University of Toronto in 1987.

He would use the proceeds of his crimes to fund an exclusive international lifestyle.

Vincent told the Toronto Star newspaper in January that he was a kleptomaniac. One defence lawyer quoted in the article described him as the "Gordie Howe of criminals."